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SOUTHEAST STREAM

District Art Contest

Example submitted by Caley

Jacobsen, Northeast FFA

Important dates

January 26, Candidate Training night

Feb 2, District review night and District Officer Interviews

Feb 19th-25 FFA Week

Feb 20th Northeast Sub-District Convention

Feb 20th South Sub-District Convention

Feb 21st Northwest Sub-District Convention

March 3rd District FFA Convention

The Southeast District FFA will be holding an Art Contest. We are asking members to submit a drawing, painting, or digital work representing the Southeast District. These works of art will be displayed at the Districts on the 3rd of March. The deadline for the contest is the date of your sub-district. All art work will be collected by the district officers on those dates. Put your name and chapter name on the back. They then will be judged by the district officers, state officers and art teachers. The pieces will be judged on appeal, originality, and complexity.

The top 3 pieces and artists will be asked to go on stage at Districts where the winner will be announce. All artwork will be returned to the members at the conclusion of Districts. Members may submit up to 3 works of art that has to be 100% their own. If you have any questions please contact Heidi Andresen, District Secretary at: handresen.ffa@gmail.com.

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Name: Patrick Diedrich

Office: Southeast State Vice-President

SAE Program: Ag. Mechanics Repair and Maintenance

Hobbies and Interests: Engineering and Tractors

Favorite Animal: Cow, “it’s what’s for dinner."

Favorite Quote: "Empty pockets never held anyone back, only

empty heads and empty hearts can do that." ~James Russell Lowell

What do you like the most about being a state officer? Going

on chapter visits and meeting members.

Name: Sarah Doese

Office: State Secretary

SAE Program: Ag Sales-Fareway Food Stores, Agriculture

Education

Hobbies and Interests: Watching movies, meeting new people

Favorite Animal: Piggies!

Favorite Quote: "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something.

But I cannot accept not trying" -Michael Jordan

What do you like most about being a state officer? Traveling the

state of Iowa and meeting people from all over the state. Also,

advocating for the industry I love!

Meet The State Officers!

District/State Officer Interviews Hello fellow FFA enthusiasts’. It’s that time of year for those who want to further their FFA

involvement to brush up on their people skills because February 2nd is the night of District

Officer candidate interviews!!! I Know, I'm excited too. Those talented individuals to be

elected will have the opportunity to serve their District as 2012-2013 District Officers. Both

District and State Officer candidates will get a chance on January 26th to learn from the

current officers, and get a chance to meet the other candidate they will be running with.

"I decided to run for state office because I wanted to stay involved in FFA", said Steven

Brockshus, your current NE State FFA Vice-President.

Being a State Officer is a lot of work, "you do a lot of planning for the many conferences that

we put on, but I love getting to meet all the members from across the state, and having the

opportunity to serve them as a State Officer."

Your leadership can shape the future of FFA and you can have an impact on members

even if you're not elected. Good luck, and keep on serving!

Article by Eric Wierup

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Preparing for your District's Convention

No matter which Career Development Event you chose or whether you are submitting your records for awards, there is always some steps you can take to prepare yourself before sub-districts, districts, state, or even national contests.

The first step, of course, should be to decide which event you wish to participate in or what awards you qualify for. A good beginning would be to talk with your advisor about the different events/awards available to you. Some are only available to freshmen green-hand, some awards require specific hours or other qualifications, and others are available to everyone. If you have done a contest in the past you have enjoyed, ask your advisor about other events that are similar if you want to try something new! Also ask a member of your chapter that has participated in an event or applied or received an award that you have questions about. They might also have some good advise about how to prepare for it as well.

After you have decided which contest you wish to participate in or which proficiency you are submitting records for, there are many different ways to prepare for it depending on what you have chosen. For example, if you have chosen a speaking contest, a good way to begin is practice in front of your friends and family, or if you have chosen job interview, ask local businesses if you can come in for a mock-interview, but most importantly, when you practice in front of others, whether it is friends, family, or a local store manager, ask for their feedback. If they are willing to listen to you, be willing to listen to what they have to say. They often hear or see things that you don't notice and things that could potentially make a big difference in the judging of your event. Sometimes it is even a good idea to ask someone in your chapter who has done the contest to watch you and help critique you.

If you are submitting for awards, make sure to double check your records, double check to make sure you qualify for the award, then ask an advisor to look over them. Make sure that you have everything signed that needs to be before the day of submission. You can even send your records and proficiency award questions to state or district officers!

Practice is key in a good presentation, no matter what event you are in. If you are in a group contest, it might be more difficult to get together; decide on one day a week everyone can come in before school ten or twenty minutes early to run through things a time or two in front of a teacher, principal, or older FFA member. The most important part of being in a group is your part. I don't mean that your part is more important than your friend's. What I mean is that it is important for you to learn your part and for others to learn theirs. Focus on your part first, and once you have learned that, ask others in your group if they need help with theirs. Teamwork is essential if you plan to succeed as a team!

Finally, when the day of Districts arrives, go into your event feeling confident. Confidence shows a lot about how much you have worked for it and about your personality! It is the same with records: you should be proud of your accomplishments! Both contests and award deadlines are approaching soon; if you feel unprepared, need help, or simply have a few questions, feel free to ask any of the Southeast District or State Officer team!

Article by Holly Morrison